The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-06-08
DOING WASHING.

AaiN rlItliltA AAOAl = TlANtA FAA'AA w -
tall. Young mountain ash. Its worth
more than that. but these fashionable
ladies are 20 distressingly parsimonious in
their ideas
The orange glow of the sunrise WAS
lust fiinging its sheaf of reddening arrows
across the wooded side of SpicebeTy
Mountains: the birds were whistling
fheir rnatin songs, and the hidden waters
If Spiceberry Creek were swirling with
merry music around the gnarled tree
roots and moss covered boulders that OBJ
truded themselves across its current
The wild clematis and rank fox-grape
vines that mad wreathed themselves pic
turesquely above the deserted charcoal
burners cabin were huttering their ten
drills in the morning breeze and the fire
Of dead sticks was cracking bravely under
a huge kettle, where Miss Rayforth's see
ond tubful of clothes was already boiling
ike witch's cauldron.
For she and Clara Seton, her room
mate at college, had come up here before
the dawn had unfdrled its pearly banners,
kindled their fire and gone bravely 10
work
Doesn't il seem ridiculous?" said
Rosamond, as she sorted out half a dozen
or 50 of sheer linen pocket handkerchiefs
and plunged them up and down in the
bluing-pail. Last night, you and were
waltzing in the ball room with those two
young army officers this morning We
are getting out our wash. Just hand me
few Of those clothes-pins, Clara, please
How romance and reality do jostle one
another in this world, to-be-sure These
hanakerchiefs will dry directly. the sun
touches them, and then We can have the
lines for the large articles. Are you sure
the starch isn't lumpy, Clara Miss Cav
endish is 50 very particular about her
lawn wrappers And how are the irons
heating up?"
Clara Seton, who had just finished coll
ing up her inky black hair, and had
transiixed it with long shell pin, peep
ed into an impromptu furn nlce of charcoal
that .lowed under the slope of a prodig-
ious rock, before which half dozen
fiatirons were set on end
They'll he in prime order in half an
hour" she said. ~Do you suppose, Rosy,
they'll be there tonight again ?"
"The flatirons
&c No. the army officers"
Most likely" said Rosamond, with a
clothes-pin in her mouth, as she stood on
tiptoe to hang rufiied pettieoat to the
breeze. q heard them ask Flora Foster
if we were staying al the Mountain
House
"Oh, did you? And what did she say p
~ She said she believed we were camp
ing out somewhere"
SO we are, said Clara, laughing
And She added-the desr gossipy lit
tie thing. that we were artists, who spent
most OF our time in sketching. There
Clara the clothes-lines are full at last
Wen adjourn long enough to drink oul
cold coffee and eat some bread and milk
Oh yes, we're camping out-there can'
be any mistake about that" she went on
with laugh, as the two girls sat dowr
in the shade Of the hazel bushes to par
take of their simple morning meal
But ] often wonder what the Mountain
House people would say if they knew
that we were the French laundresses Il
whom the landlords wife sends theil
muslin gowns and Swiss polonaises to b'
done up"
What do we care ?n retorted Clara
with a shrug Of her shoulders.
Nothing in the world. But isn't j
comical, Clara, when one thinks bacl
over it all! How we came here with ou
easels and palettes and our color-tubes
expecting 10 make our fortunes as artists
painting woodland scenes on birch-bark
and repro iucing the sunsets on bits o
mill board And then we discovered tina
every farmers daughter in the neighbor
hood was doing the same thing, and tina
art was at hopeless discount AnC
next-you remember Clara-we tried t
play the piano for the dancing until th'
colored fiddlers came over the mountain
and uHderbid ls altogether. And we ha,
no money TO BUY our tickets back TO tbs
city, nor to pay our MOTEL bills, until-un
til-one fortunate day the laundress los
her temper and left at an hours notice
and | helped Mrs Fitch out other dilem
ma
And now" said Clara, we are max
ing eight or ten dollars a week"
~Out of the wash-tub, said Rosamond
blthely and boarding ourselves. oh
how thankful ana that Ispent that long
dreAry. dismal winter with old Aunt Alb
igail. in a haunted house where no hell
could be induced to stay. and then an,
there learned to wash and iron equal L
any heathen Chinec,"
" ! believe. Rosamond, that you woul'
langh at anything"
"But il is SO ridiculous" persiste,
Rosamond. "To think of the downfall
that our lofty ideas had From artist .
washerwoman From Prussian blue an,
venetian red to indigo bags and starch
And she jumped up and ran back t
the boiler, which was now sputtering am
bubbling like some Infatuated monster
Its boiling over, Clara--it's boilin
over" she cried. in loud, sweet accent,
Help me off with it-guick, or Tia
clothes will be burned"
ALLOW me-" spoke calm deep voice
and the next moment the kettle wa
swung off the impromptu crane upon tn
grass below, and Rosamond Rayfortl
found herself face to face with Captain
Afford, the taller and handsolner of til
two officers with whom she had waltze1
the midnight before. While Harry Dray
ton, the younger cavalryman, advances
through the bushes. with his gun baIanc
ed over his shoulder, and the counte
napce of one who was sure of welcome.
So this is camp" said he.
Yes" said Rosamond, steeling hersel
to the occasion this is the caml
Won't you walk in. Captain Afford? An
yen. Mr. Drayton Pr
But shall be inteIrupting YOU"
Rcsamond smiled a CHEEKY spark
came into her sofi, dark eyes.
A little she owned. "Weare alway